Ayano Ketchum: The Princess of Akademi
by BookPrincess32
Summary: Ryoba Aishi finally met her match in the form of a blacklist Organization. Not being heartless, the assassin decided to take in the baby with her husband, renaming her Ayano Ketchum. Years later, she hails as the Ultimate Cosplayer and when the truth of her parents' royal heritage was revealed, she was sent to Akademi for a chance at normal life. But was she meant to be just normal
1. Prologue: Growing Up

**BP: I am taking a break from Pokémon and decided to write any story that comes up to my mind. **

**For those Yandere Simulator fans, this is the plot that my other readers (who have been reading my other works) have voted on, and I will deliver to them. **

**For those who have read my other works (namely the PAL Series), you voted in the poll, and you got what you want! Of course, you'll have your requested pairing, RoyalShipping! **

**I hope everyone would give this story a chance. **

**In here, there would be references to my previous stories and to the AUs N. Aepic Fael and I discussed.**

Blood dripped from the knife, as the beautiful black-haired woman with amethyst eyes stood over her victim. Her victim's jet-black hair tumbled around her, her arms and legs splayed like a ragdoll's in a way that was horrifying. Bruises decorated those arms and legs like splatters of paint on canvas, indicating broken limbs.

What was worse was that her grey eyes were wide, frozen in shock and fear, staring past her killer, into the clear blue sky. Waterfalls of blood were spilling out of various splitting gorges all around her body.

If one knew the organization the killer was part of, they would assume that she was on some mission to kill a target given to her by whoever lead that organization. However, this was not the case at all. The woman had actually just gone to town to have a good time, only to be ambushed by someone who really wanted her dead in the alleyway. Someone who was now her victim as the victim was simply outclassed badly.

"_What do you think you're doing?" The assassin asked angrily as she blocked another attack from her victim. "Why are you attacking me? I haven't done anything to-"_

_"Yes you did," The woman said coldly. "I know you are after my husband from the way you talked to him. What have you got to say for yourself?"_

_"Wait...he was your husband?" the assassin asked, now completely confused. "Where did you even get the idea that I was flirting with him? I was just asking him for directions."_

_"Oh, that was what all my rivals said." The woman giggled insanely. "But I know that look in your eyes." the yandere woman said with her anger slowly making its way to her voice. "I can't think of any reason for you to talk to him other than trying to get his love. But, he. Is. Mine!" _

_"You're crazy. I don't need to be in love to ask for directions from the opposite gender." the assassin said. "But I doubt a freaking lunatic like you will believe that." _

_The woman tried to kick the assassin to the side of her head, only to be blocked by the assassin's arm. The woman tried to back away, but the assassin kicked her arm, breaking it instantly, and forcing her to drop her knife, and it being caught by the assassin. The woman hissed at the pain, but the assassin grabbed her ankle and twisted it, breaking it as well to prevent her from moving. _

_"You know, I should've known who you were," The assassin said as a sadistic smile appeared on her face, stepping on the woman's chest. "Ryoba Aishi, the one who was a suspect for the 1989 tragedy in Akademi High, but got off scot-free. You may have fooled all of Japan, but you can't fool me. From the way you fight, I know you're experienced in using the knife to kill. But too bad, you've met your match in me. I'll show you exactly why I'm one of the seconds-in-command of Quarantine."_

_For the first time, Ryoba felt fear at that mention of Quarantine. She had heard of Quarantine. It was the first legally sponsored blacklist organization by the United Nations and they are contracted to handle threats around the world and was based on America. Of all the official blacklist groups, they have the most jurisdiction._

_There was a Blacklist Clause, a law that protected blacklist organizations that have been officially recognized from prosecution from their actions. It basically granted free reign to this organization to carry out their tasks. Headed by Lieutenant General Anna Guth and multibillionaire Archie di Angelo, both of them are two of the most influential people in the world._

_It was said each member was influential in their own ways and not only that, they were once an Ultimate, a title given to talented high-schoolers that were described as being the very best at what they do and attended an extremely prestigious school in America, even more so than Akademi High. As they have graduated, they were instead called Former Ultimates. _

"_Now, do you know what I'm going to do next?" The assassin asked. _

_Ryoba's eyes went wide with horror, as the knife went down on her. The last thing she could think of was her husband. _

"Such a waste. If she hadn't attacked me, I would have left her alone." The girl sighed, shaking her head. She left a calling card behind, so in case if the police ever came, they would know Quarantine did it, and would not pursue the murder case any further.

The girl's phone rang, and she answered with a sigh.

"What?" The girl said emotionlessly, walking towards the Aishi house.

"Paku, I went to the house Ryoba Aishi lived and it's as you said. The man we found is suffering from Stockholm Syndrome. We're taking him back to America for rehabilitation as we speak." The voice said on the other line. "But…it would mean he could no longer care for their daughter."

"Do you think she has any relatives that can take her in?" Pakura asked.

"That's not a good idea, Paku." The caller replied. "Remember what Phillip researched about the Aishi family? She's going to end up like them too if they raise her. Everyone would be in danger all over again."

"What do you suggest then?" Pakura asked.

"Why don't we raise her?" The caller said.

"Ash! Do you think it wise to for us to raise her?" Pakura was so surprise that she stopped.

"Ah, Paku, but here's the thing. We know someone who broke their clan's curse. Maybe this girl is the key to break the yandere curse. Give her a new perspective." Ash replied.

Pakura had reached the house, and hung up. When she entered, a male with brown eyes and neck-length black hair with combed down-fringe smiled down at her, and handed a baby in a blanket over to Pakura. Pakura looked slightly apprehensive when she looked at the baby, who was sleeping peacefully.

"Ash, do you really think it's a good idea, raising her in a household like ours? I mean, we are the most dysfunctional 'family' in America. We're Quarantine."

"But we're the most fun-loving family." Ash grinned. "Come on, Paku, if what Phillip had told us about the Aishi family is true, she's like a blank canvas and we can instil our teachings into her. Besides, your nephew Yuki would have someone to play with growing up."

For a full minute the two of them stood and looked at the little bundle; Pakura frowning, and Ash looking between them expectantly.

"Well," said Pakura finally, "I guess we can try. But I am not expecting her to turn out normal, considering the Aishi curse and our status. You're right, Yuki might like the company, considering most of us are adults. We may as well go and get the adoption papers from the agency. Do you have the birth certificate of that baby?"

"Yeah," said Ash, passing her the documents. "I guess we'll leave this house for now, until we need it for another time…"

Pakura nodded, as the couple left the house hand-in-hand, the baby rolling over inside her blankets without waking up. One small hand closed Pakura's arm as she slept on, not knowing she had new parents, not knowing she was going to be raised in a completely different household, not knowing she would be woken in a few hours' time by a turbulence on an airplane back to America with her new parents, as Ayano Ketchum.

* * *

For as long as she could remember, Ayano could not feel. It didn't matter if she was being bullied, she felt no rage. Not that anyone would dare bully her after the ones who did try ended up in the hospital. It didn't matter if she saw a cute animal, she felt no joy. It didn't matter if she hurt herself during self-defense training, she did not cry.

She was simply empty, incomplete. There was a place somewhere inside of her, a place for emotions. But they were closed away, trapped behind a stone-cold heart she was born with her bloodline. According to her mother, this was because she was born an Aishi. Pakura had told her that she was 'cursed' by her DNA to be emotionless until she found her true love, just like her mother and her grandmother and so on and so forth.

Ayano wished she could hate this fact, as to how empty she felt, and how she never really connected to others like how people her age did. But she couldn't, for even her hate was locked away somewhere in her frozen heart. However, she had no time to really dwell on the lack of emotions, for every spare time was occupied.

Ever since she was born, her parents had been subjecting her to lessons on various subjects and even started entering her in competitions. She knew her parents were trying to raise her to be as normal as possible, but normal isn't exactly what one would describe people like Pakura and Ash. Looking back, she wasn't too surprised at the way they raised her, as both her parents were considered the top of the totem pole among society. Their definition of normal would probably differ.

When the other members of Quarantine heard about it, they decided to chip in to help her with her training when her parents are busy with work since they all lived together in one, large mansion that served as their Headquarters.

Hence, she can't say she was lonely, considering the type of company the Quarantine members were. The fact that her peers from Royal Pratibhe Academy accepted her for who she was, allowing her to fit in easily also helped matters. After all, they have the mindset that everyone is different in their own ways.

Her very first competition was when she was just an infant, apparently for a baby beauty pageant. She could not remember it, but apparently, she had racked up plenty of scholarships through those competitions and had the various tiaras and sashes to prove her victory.

Subsequently, being raised by an organization like Quarantine who are made up of former Ultimates would mean that she would start to rack up gold trophies and medals for other competitions, ranging from gymnastics to singing to figure skating and even art competitions. Sometimes, she had even assisted various charity organizations to provide services such as cleaning up litter, giving food to the needy, and putting up performances or recitals.

By the time she was six, she had at least 250 trophies, medals, tiaras and certificates to commemorate her services towards the charities. Eventually, two rooms had to be used to store her awards.

Many children may have snapped at the sheer pressure of it, but not Ayano. She didn't care after all, it was something for her to do. Besides, it wasn't as if she was the only one going through this, with her company being in the form of Yuki Paradinight, her adoptive cousin.

Whenever she had free time, she usually found herself mildly content to be immersed in the PAL Series, with the original series being placed in the Pokémon world, though there were series relating to those characters going to school and even one with the characters participating in a killing game.

Apparently, the author who created the series said the characters in those series were based on members from Quarantine, including her parents. It was very popular worldwide, as when Ayano went on trips with her parents, she would see them heavily featured despite having originated from America and besides an anime series, they even had its own television show and live-action movies based on the novels.

In fact, magazines based on the series and albums based on the fictional band featured in it was also produced, heavily based on the real-life band consisting of Pakura and Shiki, two musically talented twins.

This was what inspired Ayano to make cosplay costumes, as she felt that her, as a blank canvas as her father had described her to be, can be anybody she wanted and could almost imagine herself as any character if she just dressed in the right clothes.

Over time, while she realized she preferred to make her outfits rather than wear them, she would wear her own outfits if it meant wearing to express the love of the character that she was cosplaying.

It sounded weird to admit, but Ayano preferred cosplaying as the fictional character based on her mother most of all, if only by a margin. She only wished that she could be just as strong, brave, smart, talented and charismatic as her mother someday.

Even her father had told her that he didn't know how someone like his wife had noticed him, considering back in the days she was the most popular girl in school and the prom queen, while he was just this new student that got into the school by luck.

However, Ayano speculated it was due to the fact that her father was able to bring out the best of her mother's personality through his never-give-up and genuinely caring attitude. She wouldn't blame her mother for loving that aspect of him, considering he was tolerant of everyone's eccentric personalities and quirks and is always willing to listen and give advice and can even make the most antisocial characters feel more relaxed and they often reveal things about themselves they wouldn't tell anyone else.

Due to the number of costumes she had made, Ayano found herself establishing an online store called Haute Dezain and as suggested by her father, she operated under an alias. She ended up picking the alias Ayane Ameyuri, the surname being taken from the character based on her mother.

Her cosplay costumes eventually became very popular, with people worldwide buying them and she ended up having to take stock and made more to meet customer's demands. That was how she was scouted and invited to attend the legendary Royal Pratibhe Academy, formerly known as Specialized Institute of the Arts, where only the best of the best was invited to attend so obviously, each class consisted of only a select small group of students each year.

She gained the title of Ultimate Cosplayer and a sponsorship that allowed her to create costumes with expensive materials. That made her parents ecstatic as they had once attended that school just like her, as did the other members of Quarantine.

After all, simply gaining entry to this school was widely considered to mean that success in life would be guaranteed, enough to make one sought after by the wealthiest and most powerful corporations in the world. Put simply, if one was accepted into Royal Pratibhe Academy, then they were already on the fast track to enormous success in their future career.

Ayano wished she could feel the satisfaction that her parents had felt on her behalf, as they threw a celebration at her entering the school, along with fellow peers that were the kids of the other Quarantine members who naturally also got into the school.

All Ayano could feel to a certain degree, was boredom, annoyance, and contentment. The three blandest emotions, but it wasn't enough to satiate Ayano. She wanted to feel more, and wanted to find out just how she could unlock them. She had envied her adoptive cousin Yuki, who was able to express feelings readily, but yet never chose to do so unless it's in front of her.

She wondered if her lack of feelings could be broken by love, like how it does towards the characters from the many fairy tales Ayano had read. Nevertheless, she noted fairy tales could never really be a guide to real life. Because how many times in real life can a heroine truly live happily ever after with the love interest? How many times can someone really know if the person they just met is their true love?

Regardless, she would always sit and listen to her parents or one of the members tell her stories before bed. Sometimes it was about her biological parents, especially her birth mother Ryoba Aishi. Other times, it was about their school days.

That was what she liked about the Quarantine members, as they never bothered concealing the truth in their stories. Ayano knew her adoptive mother was the one who offed her birth mother, but she held no grudge due to her lack of emotions and secondly, it was in self-defense. After all, Ryoba was the one who tried to kill Pakura, forcing her to defend herself.

She didn't really blame her birth father for deciding not to raise her, considering Ryoba probably saw her as a physical manifestation of the love between herself and her husband, if what her mother told her about Ryoba was the truth.

"_Ryoba, your birth mother, was like you as a child, but when she met your father, everything changed for her. He brought warmth and color and life into her world. He made her...complete." Her mother had told her. _

"_Then what happened?" Ayano had asked. _

"_She perceived the girls talking to him as rivals, per se." Ash explained. "So, she disposed of them…permanently, just so that she can have him all to herself."_

"_Isn't it like you, in a way?" Ayano deadpanned. _

"_Honey, the difference is, we kill because we were ordered to, or to protect someone, or for self-defense." Ash replied. "She killed because of a perceived reason in her own head. Besides, her perspective of love isn't really true love."_

"_What do you mean?" Ayano was confused. _

"_Think about it. Your mother only said she was addicted to the way your father made her feel. She never said that she actually loved his personality or truly cared about him." Pakura said firmly. "They say every Aishi woman fall in love at first sight, and that the Aishi woman in question do anything for them. Anything."_

Ayano knew what her mother meant then, and even now, as she was using a portable computer she wore on her neck called Monita to use a design program for ideas of the next outfit to make, she still did. The Aishi bloodline's expectations for her to do anything and everything to keep her love by her side. Even if it meant hurting somebody…or killing somebody.

As cold, empty, and emotionless Ayano was, she knew that she did not want to harm anyone out of jealousy or selfish reasons. After all, she knew what true love really was, as she looked at her adoptive parents, and her uncle and his wives. A love that was reciprocated on both sides, love that did not require fighting others for. She didn't want a love that would manipulate her to keep her love for herself.

She knew it was possible. After all, her aunt Akeno had told her all about her own clan's curse, and how she broke it.

"_I have a curse in my clan too, just like you." Akeno had told her._ _"You see, Ayano, my clan consisted of spirit mediums. Because only the females in the clan are able to inherit the power of channelling spirits, the clan structure is very matriarchal, such that males are rarely ever mentioned." _

"_How is it a curse, then?" Ayano asked. _

"_Because marriages in the clan usually fail." Akeno sighed. "We've never had a marriage that lasted more than two years."_

"_Never?" Ayano was surprised. _

"_Never. All the marriages just end in failure, for varying reasons. It was to the point that some of the women in my clan attempted to try and tie down their husbands literally so they won't leave them, but due to the curse, they always get caught and arrested." Akeno explained. _

"_How did you break it?" Ayano wanted to know. _

_Akeno smiled, as she took Ayano's hands gently. "Simple. You see, the women in my clan is too focused on chasing for the perfect husband that they forget they can just lure them like woodland creatures with tiny breadcrumbs and soft words of encouragement. You can't just simply whip out a rock and conk them over the head with it. All I did was bring out my best qualities and attract the person I love from there." _

While Ayano did not understand what Akeno meant at that time, she agreed with whatever Akeno had said. From Akeno's story, she learnt that there is more than one way to break the curse without harming others.

"What are you doing there, Aya?" A voice called. Ayano looked up from her holographic screen to see an extremely handsome boy with black hair and azure eyes. He had a katana strapped to his back, and everyone noted he looked just like his father when he was that age, except for the eyes. Ayano mumbled a greeting at her adopted cousin and arranged fiancé, Yuki. She remembered why her parents arranged a marriage for her, despite their objections towards arranged marriages in general.

_Ayano raised her eyebrow as they arrived at a rather posh looking restaurant. Ash had confirmed the reservations, and all of them were seated at one of the tables._

_The waiters placed the menus before them, and Ayano noted that her mother did not give the menus a glance, looking contented with just waiting, though for what, Ayano couldn't tell. Ayano was about to deduce that her mother might have placed an order in advance when someone called out to them. _

"_Paku! Have you waited long?" A voice asked. _

_Pakura smiled, something that was very rare, as she got to her feet and hugged the newcomer, whom Ayano recognized as Shiki Paradinight, her mother's twin brother. _

_"Not at all, Shiki. Have a seat. It's been quite a while since I last saw Yuki." She smiled at the boy next to Shiki. Ayano blinked when she saw her adoptive cousin next to her. What was this all about? Especially since Yuki was dressed so formally, wearing a tuxedo and had his hair perfectly combed down. He exuded the aura of an aristocrat, and somehow, Ayano had a bad feeling about this. _

_It didn't take long for Ayano to figure it out just what was going on. He observed the conversation between her mother and uncle, and he observed the way the two was giving meaningful glances in her and Yuki's directions. Ayano had to fight down a sigh. She had walked herself into what her mother would call an omiai, an arranged meeting with the possibility of an arranged marriage. _

_Her mother pulled her aside after the talk and said, "Listen to me, Ayano. This is only a measure in case someone wants you only for your wealth or status so that you can tell them you're taken. You're still free to date anyone you like, but we must approve of him first."_

_Ayano knew. Her mother meant the 47 times she was almost kidnapped due to her background for ransom or marriage purposes, even though she was underaged. The only reason no one succeeded was because of Ayano's extensive self-defense training. That was why Pakura had to resort to this in order to protect her from being kidnapped, lest someone somehow succeeds._

_If she had more emotions, she supposed she'd be utterly traumatized by now, and that was one of the times she thanked herself to be unable to feel. _

"_I understand, mother." Ayano nodded, and went back to the table. _

_As they returned, Shiki got up from his seat. "Now then. Let's leave the two kids alone, so that they can get spend some time with each other."_

"_If you say so, Shiki." Pakura nodded, as Yuki continued smiling even as the grown-ups left, with the twins chatting animatedly. Ayano waited a while for them to leave the building completely before turning to the boy sitting before her. _

"_I was made aware of your situation." Yuki said after they left. _

'_Eh?' Ayano thought. _

_"They arranged this so there would be an excuse for someone to stay by your side at all times to protect you. As the current Ultimate Assassin and how we used to play with each other and train alongside each other since we were kids, naturally I got picked." Yuki grinned. _

"_Of course." Ayano rolled her eyes. _

"_Hey, it's fine by me if you suddenly have someone else in mind during this agreement. I promise not to cancel this until you find someone my aunt approves of." Yuki went on. _

_She didn't say anything, letting him do all the talking. "After all, you should know by now none of the Quarantine members have that traditional thinking regarding girls. It's just that because of the high status you get when you're born to one of the members, you get lots of marriage proposals from the more traditional-thinking families, especially for females." _

"_That explains the kidnapping attempts on me." Ayano mumbled. _

"_Exactly. You're someone from high breed, so naturally, they'll do something called bridal kidnap on you. That is why my aunt and my dad have this agreement to do something about it so no one can get to you. No hard feelings, right?" _

_Ayano nodded. She was slightly relaxed though, since the purpose of this meeting wasn't about the arranged marriage, but rather a pact of protection. _

"Just the next idea a costume I want to put in the online store, Yu-chan." Ayano saved her design and deactivated the holographic screen coming from the "face" of Monita. When inactive, it looked like an ordinary heart locket with a face on it that can actually change color and its expression according to how she is feeling at that time. However, due to her lacking emotions, it was usually in its default state.

Yuki smiled wryly, as they walked to the cafeteria for lunch. "Have you ever tried expanding your stock, like Gothic Lolita or even date outfits? You certainly have the talent and a lot of people would love it."

"I'll have to stock on other materials for that." Ayano replied, as they reached the high-class dining hall. "But I'll think about it." Unlike most schools, their school had an hour and a half lunch with waiters and menus where students were actually assigned seats so that the students will not form cliques and can learn to get along with anyone.

At least due to her arranged marriage, she was usually assigned the same table as Yuki. While they ate lunch, they chatted with the people assigned to their table about various things as well, such as their favourite characters in the PAL Series, which was the current trend in America despite having been around for more than a decade.

While it was awkward to talk about their parents' fictional counterparts, they did not let it stop them from talking about their favourite points of the plot.

* * *

When Ayano got home, Pakura and Ash were sitting at the living room waiting for her, clutching to a missive that looked like it had the royal seal on it. Pakura looked up and had a pained look on her face and said, "I need a word with you."

Ayano noted that both of them looked grim and they were home from work so she knew it was serious. She wondered what was so serious that they had to take time off their work just to talk to her about it.

"What is it, mother, father?" Ayano asked, as a maid served tea and cookies to them.

"Ayano, I want you to know the truth. I think you're old enough now, and the fact is, before you were born, after your aunt Ilia's sister lost the right to become the heir apparent to the British throne, Ilia was passed over as heir apparent because of her refusal to marry…" Ash started.

"Uh-huh." Ayano nodded, sipping her tea.

"But then Queen Janice did a little digging, and found that both Shiki and I were part of the line to succeed the throne. Your father felt strongly that there wasn't any reason for you to know, and I agreed with him since Shiki and I were way down at the succession line. You know I had a very abusive childhood-" Pakura continued.

If what her mother had told her about her childhood was true, she couldn't refute that.

"Besides, I agreed that a palace is no place to raise a child, and well raising you here wasn't any better, but I would admit it didn't seem to have done you any harm. In fact, growing up with us probably instilled you with a healthy amount of perspective and scepticism about the human race at large." Ash explained, eating a cookie sadly.

"What's your point?" Ayano enquired.

"What I'm trying to say is, both of us thought we were doing you a favour by not telling you. We never envisioned that an occasion would arise where I may be succeeding the throne. After all, the moment one becomes the heir, they have to dedicate everything to their royal duties. Because of how far both Shiki and I were down the succession line, we thought we were safe from royal duties." Pakura answered.

'Uh-oh.' Ayano thought, knowing where this was going.

"But now, unfortunately, Queen Janice refused to let the other heirs take the title of Crown Prince or Princess due to her perceived reasons of them not being fit and…it somehow reached us, and Queen Janice is really fixed on having one of us become her heir. Specifically, me…" Pakura looked like she was about to have a breakdown.

"So…that means…" Ayano blinked.

"You're not really Ayano Ketchum anymore." Ash confirmed sadly.

"Then who am I?" Ayano asked.

Pakura went, kind of sadly, "You're Ayano Estelle Alexia Ketchum-Windsor, Princess of Cambridge."

"…What?" Ayano was dumbfounded.

"Believe me, we didn't expect this to happen either. We thought you wouldn't need to be involved with this royal heritage because while we aren't the most normal of people, being a royal is a big thing, especially if it's the House of Windsor. That is why we kept it a secret from you. But we didn't expect Queen Janice to straight up change the line of succession so Shiki and Paku are now in front and subsequently as Paku's child, it will affect you." Ash shook his head in dismay.

"Oh dear..." Ayano held a hand to her head. Then again, she shouldn't be too surprised. Someone of her calibre would likely do well as a royal, and Queen Janice must have thought so too. "But wait, why wasn't Uncle Shiki in front of mother? He's the older twin."

"That was what we thought too." Ash sighed. "Except Queen Janice thought you mother showed more talent and confidence in deportment and she decided to make her heiress to the throne."

"Listen to me, Ayano. She doesn't know about you yet. If she finds out about you, she's certainly going to cart you off to England and subject you to royal duties…your life would never be the same again. I'm going to do whatever it takes for you to have a normal teenage life…as normal as you can be, anyway." Pakura promised.

"What do you suggest?" Ayano asked.

"…You'll be going to Japan. You'll have to attend Akademi High and I'll make arrangements with the principal to make it so that you can continue your schooling in your current school. Here's the pictures of your mother's old house, and just tell me what changes you'd like to make to the house to suit your needs." Ash answered.

Ayano nodded, inwardly feeling pity for her mother, whose career is potentially ruined by one letter. "Am I going to attend the school as Ayano Aishi?"

Pakura nodded. "I don't want you to have people associate with you just because you're my daughter. I want them to like you for you. It's a very rare thing to have someone to love you for who you are, and I feel that you'll understand one day."

Ayano nodded, and ran off to make the arrangements after taking the file Ash handed to her as to the house she'll be living in, which was the house Ryoba used to live in with her biological father.

Later, as Ayano looked at the pictures of the room that was her parents' bedroom all those years ago, she looked thoughtful. Since her biological parents would no longer be using the room, she wondered what kind of room she should turn it to after getting rid of the furniture.

In the end, she decided to turn it into a guest room, in case someone stayed over at her house, but decided to replace all the furniture, for the ones used in the current bedroom was not to her taste, as she looked at all the purple decorating the room. Now, all she needed to do was to go to her computer and find the list of items she needed to turn that room into a guest room to suit her taste and get someone to deliver it to that house.

As she looked at another room that was probably the room she slept in as a baby, she decided to furnish it to her taste, ordering the basics such as a bookcase, bed and computer. However, she also decided to order other decorations such as lace carpets, bedding covers, a white dressing table and a corkboard for photographs. Taking out a piece of paper and pencil, she sketched out the room layout.

For other unused rooms, she decided to convert one of them to a design studio to store her works as the Ultimate Cosplayer. After all, she still needed to send her work to her original school as part of her assignment. She contemplated another room, before deciding that it could be used for an art studio, where she would be able to paint her inspiration onto a character to see how they'd look like before deciding the make the costume.

She decided that the basement will be the Music Room to practice her instruments as according to the notes, the basement was apparently soundproof and would be perfect for that. Ayano made a mental note to order some musical instruments and stock the shelf in the basement with either CDs or music books.

Ash came over just as she was finishing the list of things she needed and had sketched out the rough position of the furniture she had envisioned them to be.

"Yes, father?" Ayano had asked.

Ash sighed. "Unfortunately, I'm here to tell you that both of us can't come with you, because we are ordered to go to United Kingdom to settle this royal matter. Yuki also can't come as he has to continue his studies here, but chances are, no one would try to kidnap you in Japan as long as you hold up your alias well. Do you want to go alone, or should we send Shiki to come with you?"

From the look on Ash's face, Ayano knew he felt really bad for not being able to come with him, but Ayano felt that she could handle being alone, if she was like Pakura as everyone had always said. Ayano felt slight contentment whenever she heard people say she was just like her mother. After all, she wished she could be more like her mother, except without the abusive childhood.

"No, father, I'll go alone." Ayano gave a small smile. "I don't want Uncle Shiki to abandon his work just for me."

"Are you sure?" Ash pressed on. "Are you sure you'll be fine?"

"Yes, father." Ayano said. "I'll be fine."

"If you say so, darling." Her father patted her head. "I know what a good head you have on your shoulders. I promise, once we deal with this matter, we'll come for you."

Her father had not said anymore, but the look on his face told Ayano enough. Her father was hoping that he would be able to dissuade Queen Janice from making Pakura the heir as soon as possible so that they could go back for Ayano.

"Are you done with the list of what you need for Japan?" Ash smiled sadly.

Ayano nodded, and handed Ash the papers. He took one look at them, and said, "Very detailed, Ayano. Don't worry, we'll get the house done in three days' time. Meanwhile, we'll get the private jet and you just pack your stuff, alright?"

Ayano nodded, as Ash left to make the arrangements for her living accommodations.

On the day of Ayano's departure, she woke up at five o'clock the next morning and for some reason could not go back to sleep. She got up and refreshed herself, before pulling on a long-sleeved black dress with a lacey collar and checking her handwritten list yet again to make sure she had everything she needed.

Ayano walked out of her room to the kitchen and saw all this pink light coming down through the skylight right on her mother, who was wearing her best dark blue cocktail satin dress and making breakfast for everyone. Apparently, it was her turn to cook the meals.

All the current Quarantine members along with their kids were already gathered around the dining table, talking quietly.

As soon as they saw her, one of the adults who had brown hair and baby blue eyes was all, "Ah, Ayano."

"Uncle Phillip." Ayano greeted the former Ultimate Inventor.

"Here." Phillip handed Ayano what looked like a ball of blue fur with a pair of antennae that could fit on one palm. It has a screen that shows its expression at the moment.

"Woo?" The little ball of blue fur made a noise, as its eyes on the screen widened in curiosity.

"It's a User Wellness Upkeep bot. It's a personal healthcare companion, capable of monitoring vital signs, alerting caretakers, or reminding patients to take medications. In other cases, it can also monitor and record your diet and recommend meals you should take to maintain your health or to meet your weight goals." Phillip explained. "It'll help us monitor your well-being to all of us…and it makes a good pet!"

"Thanks." Ayano said politely, as Phillip handed her the charger that looked like a mini-bed for the robot along with the bot, who automatically climbed onto her shoulder.

"How did you come up with that idea?" A woman who had her brown blonde hair tied to a ponytail with azure eyes asked. Ayano knew her as Anna Guth, the former Ultimate Soldier and one of the two heads of Quarantine.

"Well, I heard Ash's situation and got inspired." Phillip scratched the back of his head. "Somebody has to make sure she eats well. Also, I programmed the Monita in such a way if you send me a picture of something or someone, I can send you the information right away."

Ayano nodded in thanks, just as Pakura rolled in a cart filled with food.

"Breakfast is ready." She flatly called out, as she served scrambled eggs, French Toast, sausages, batter cakes covered in fruit frostings, hot grain smothered in beef stew and a basket of rolls. For drinks, there was orange juice, hot chocolate, American Expresso and Earl Grey tea.

"Oooh, perfect as always, Paku!" Akeno cheered, as most of the members had predatory looks in their eyes.

Ayano knew those looks from the times she ate meals with them. It was the same look she always saw when one of them sensed their favourite food nearby. She had witnessed plenty of scuffles between most of the Quarantine members because of food. The only people she never saw fight over food was her mother, her father, her uncle Shiki and honorary uncle/aunt Akeno, Phillip and Jude.

As for her, she didn't really have a preferred taste regarding food, but even she had to admit her mother's food stood out from all the other food that she had eaten.

After breakfast, everyone made their way to the airport to say goodbye to Ayano and her parents, with Ayano enduring the hugs and tears from everyone in Quarantine, including some of her fellow classmates, including her adoptive cousin/arranged fiancé Yuki.

"I'm going to miss you." Yuki had hugged her like he didn't want to let go. "School won't be the same without you."

"Me too, Yuki." Ayano replied, inwardly thinking school won't be the same without him too, considering she was going to a whole other school and for the first time in years, Yuki wasn't going to be with her.

"Come back safe, okay?" Yuki asked her.

"Yes," Ayano nodded, as Yuki gave her a kiss on the cheek, before Ayano had to leave for the jet.

Her parents had decided to accompany her on the jet ride to Japan, but would fly back immediately after Ayano reaches Japan.

As Ayano hummed a tune and wrote down some song lyrics that she thought of, waiting for the jet to reach Japan, she was inwardly content at the decision her parents had made, though she probably would have to play the part of a normal schoolgirl, and an Ultimate student isn't exactly what you would call a normal student.

Ayano couldn't really imagine herself living in a royal palace and felt that she'd make a terrible royal, considering she'll probably never get used to being Princess Ayano Windsor. Perhaps her parents never really gave her time to dwell on herself, but she found that that suited her just fine. For that, she felt the dimmest of contentment.

Maybe everything would turn out fine.

**BP: Ok, I got some explaining to do. **

**Alright, this fic is more closely grounded to reality, so this is how the characters from PAL Series would be like if they exist in real life. So no Pokémon exist here, despite the series they originate from. **

**Quarantine is a Blacklist Organization that eradicates crime through whatever means possible, and are made up of those who Archie di Angelo, the principal of Royal Pratibhe Academy, considered the best in his school. It is saying something considering this school is like Danganronpa's Hope's Peak Academy (at least the main course). Due to his political influence through his insane amount of wealth that he got through his many businesses that do extremely well financially, no one really dared oppose him. **

**All members of Quarantine are highly trained in combat skills, and have anticipated all sorts of opponents and attacks. That is why even if this is closer to reality, Pakura would be able to defeat Ryoba easily due to her experience, speed, reflexes, enhanced senses, and the variety of options she can access to take Ryoba down quickly. **

**Even Ayano as a student is considered the norm in RPA, which might hint at how talented Quarantine members were when they were in school. For less confusion, I have given each member positions that reference their own in the original PAL Series (e.g. Pakura being a Princess) although of course I'll have to make some adaptational changes to fit the story's theme. **

**Obviously, for people like Pakura and Ash, they would want to bring out the very best in their child, and to make up for their intensity of training, they usually also give their child nothing but the best. For her sake though, despite being Ash's child and getting into that school, she was actually raised relatively out of the spotlight and her real name only being known to those actually attending/working for the school and all of them are great secret keepers.**

**If Pakura had her own way, she would have kept Ayano in America, hence I needed a reason to send Ayano to Japan, where the plot would happen in to keep up the consistency. Hence, I came up with this problem, that was inspired by the Princess Diaries first book. With N. Aepic Fael's planned OC that had the status of a Queen, I decided this situation is ideal. **

**For those Yandere Simulator readers, if you want to know what Pakura is like, read the PAL Series for an idea. As for Ash, well he's Ash Ketchum from the series Pokémon, though I am using his more mature personality from my Pokémon fanfics. **

**All original characters originate from my PAL Series, and those that are not is N. Aepic Fael's characters. Yuki is the only one that is created for this fanfic. **


	2. Week 0 and Week 1 (Part 1)

**BP: I've made the decision to dig deeper into what Alex (also known as Yandere Dev) was really like because I suspected something when he kept promising Osana would come out soon but so far, no demo with Osana in it has come out. **

**I won't pretend everything is alright when I found out what he was like behind his image as a "stressed-out, trying my best, sole game developer". I can't say I support what he did or said to his own fans and volunteers or how he handles criticism. However, I started this fic, I will finish it, mainly because I want to do Yandere Simulator my way. **

**I will be using the real names of the students for this one. **

**Week 0, Sunday**

As she expected, when she arrived at the house after her flight, everything has been arranged. Ayano went to her room, which was empty of things, and started to unpack, sorting clothes in the closets, and hummed a song as she organized the manga, novels, magazines and even games, making a note to buy a bigger bookshelf for her room if she wanted to buy more of them.

She even cut out pictures of the characters from the PAL Series and arranged them on her corkboard like a collage and put up posters of them on her wall.

She had to admit, they made good decorations for her room, and made a mental note to get another corkboard to act as her evidence board, if she needed to investigate something. She also hung a uniform which consisted of a high collared white blouse worn under a red-lined black blazer and bright red bow, accompanied with a dark grey skirt and brown shoes.

She frowned at the lack of pockets in the skirt and decided to do something about it tomorrow. She would also need to shop for materials that are knife-proof just in case.

As a force of habit, despite being Sunday and suffering from jet lag, Ayano woke up early the next morning, prepared breakfast and ate before grabbing her wallet. She decided to leave the house to town, intent to make full-use of her opportunity.

Ayano walked down the street, knowing that if she kept at her current pace, she will make it to Shisuta Town in a few minutes. She put her phone in her bag and turned the corner, only to crash into another person. They're both on the ground now, the other one rubbing his head and groaning in pain. It's a boy, and his bookmark fell to the ground. Ayano recognized the symbol of the bookmark, which belonged to Akademi High, the school she would go tomorrow.

The boy jumped up, apologizing. He held out his hand for her.

She took it, and stood up.

"Thank you," Ayano said, and the boy smiled, cheeks red from embarrassment.

"It's my fault. I ran into you," he replied

"I ran into you as well," Ayano pointed out. "We just ran into each other, that's all."

"Well, it's nice to meet you. I'm Taro Yamada!" The boy introduced himself.

"Ayano Aishi. Do you go to Akademi?" She decided to ask.

"Yeah, I do." The boy smiled. "Do you?"

"I would be starting tomorrow. I'm just in town to buy some stuff before I prepare for school tomorrow." Ayano replied.

Taro looked interested. "Really? I'll be glad to help you around the school if you wish."

"That'll be nice, thank you." Ayano answered.

Taro nodded at that, and opened his mouth, but the voice that came next didn't belong to him.

"Taro! There's no time to dawdle around, you know!" The voice was angry, and the speaker looked just as mad. She glared as she shoved one of her of her orange-red pigtails out of her face. "There you are, baka! You literally just left me behind!"

"Right, sorry, Osana!" Taro looked back to Ayano. "Hey, Osana, this is Ayano Aishi. She'll be starting at Akademi tomorrow."

"Er…hi." Ayano waved shyly, as Osana turned to her.

"Well, then, since you met, I'm sure you know by now he's a baka." Osana jerked a thumb to Taro.

"Hey!" Taro protested, but he smiled.

"I see…" Ayano gave a pacified smile.

"So, what are you doing out here, Aya?" Osana asked, forgetting her anger with Taro. "Well, I'm going to call you Aya. It's cuter."

'Cuter?' Ayano thought, but quickly pointed to a random place…which was the maid café.

"Oh, you're applying for the part-time job." Osana saw the poster advertising the part-time job.

Ayano blinked, before nodding, and had no choice but to enter to keep up her front.

Later…

"Oh la la! You look like the epitome of a beautiful French maid!" Her new manager, a very stout woman with a shiny black bun and dark green eyes said.

Osana was giving her thumbs up at Ayano's new look.

Ayano was checking herself out in the mirror, where she donned a black dress that reached above her thighs and has black puffed sleeves and white trim, white half apron patterned with flowers tied back with a large white bow, and a black choker necklace. She had refused to remove Monita from her neck, as it was something personal and she did not trust anyone near it. On top of her head was a black white-laced headdress. She also wore knee-length black socks and black flat shoes.

Osana frowned, and went up to her, grasping the darts beneath Ayano's armpits. "Although, it needs to be taken in a little here."

"Yes, just a little." Her manager nodded.

Ayano looked down and realized that her manager and Osana talking about her boob area, where the dress was sagging a little.

"It's alright, I can adjust it in a jiffy." Ayano smiled, remembering how she as the Ultimate Cosplayer, she had tons of experience with sewing. "I can do it after my shift."

"Good to know you're eager for work, Ayano." The manager nodded approvingly. "I'm sure you'll do fine."

"Good luck, Aya!" Osana cheered. "Taro and I would come here to eat later."

Ayano nodded, inwardly wondering what she had gotten herself into, and took a breath. Time to fake a smile to the customers. With that, she left the changing room to the main part of the restaurant, and went over to take a customer's orders.

True to Osana's words, she came along with Taro during lunch, much to Ayano's jealousy, but she plastered a sunny smile to her face and took their orders.

"Oh, sure! I'd like the Omelette Rice." Osana ordered.

"I'd like the Sugoi Sandwiches." Taro added.

When Ayano nodded and went to tell the chef the orders, Osana said, "Aya, so what brings you here to Akademi?"

"Well, my parents thought I should try life among Japan, which was where I was actually born." Ayano explained.

"You weren't raised here?" Taro was puzzled.

"No, actually. I was raised in America." Ayano answered. "My parents died when I was young, so I got adopted by another family."

"Oh, I'm sorry." Osana replied worriedly. "It must have been hard for you."

"Nothing I can't handle, Najimi-san." Ayano gave a fake smile. "It was a bad time, yes, but a family still took me in. I am grateful for them"

"Call me Osana!" Osana corrected. "We're going to be classmates after all, right?"

"True." Ayano nodded. "Where did you guys go in the morning?"

"The library. Osana wanted to catch up to her Mathematics homework. I couldn't really help her." Taro shrugged.

"Why not?" Ayano was curious.

"Because this baka only gets average grades!" Osana crowed. "Hey, Aya, how smart are you?"

She wondered where the question came from, and replied, "I've gotten As in my subjects if that's what you mean. Why?"

"Great, can I come over to your house to study? I'm failing Mathematics." Osana said. "Wait, Aya! Can I have your number so we can text?" She smiled awkwardly as she held out her phone.

"You know, it's kind of dangerous to go to a stranger's house." Ayano joked.

"I know. That's why Taro is coming." Osana turned to him.

"I am?" Taro turned to Osana, surprised.

Ayano returned the kindest smile she could fake. She gave Osana her number and said, "I'll text you the address. Text me when you are coming over, since my room's a mess so I have to clean it up."

"You're the best." Osana nodded.

"Well then, can't slack on my first day." Ayano shrugged as another customer came in and left to take the customer's orders.

Ayano continued taking, and later, serving the orders, with no time to spare talking to Osana and Taro. She knew she'd be so busy that she would have no time to talk to them, as the lunch crowd would be coming in soon.

That suited her just fine. She needed time to think about things too as she worked.

"_Every Aishi woman falls in love at first sight. Ryoba expects you'll be the exact same way." Her mother had told her as they did house chores together. "To most Aishis, it'll be a magical day, where their hearts would know he's the one."_

Ayano knew what her mother meant then, and even now, as she served customers their orders, she still understands. As part of her bloodline, she was expected to do extremely dangerous things, and if not for how she was raised, she probably would meet those expectations. However, she didn't really like the concept of doing anything and everything to keep who she perceived as her love by her side. Even if it meant being at others' expense, just like Ryoba did.

'Yeah, and look where that got her.' She thought, remembering her mother killing Ryoba Aishi in self-defense. Ryoba simply thought she was able to take on any opponent, but underestimated Pakura's capabilities as one of the seconds-in-command for Quarantine. As they believed in inflicting the same, if not, higher, physical and mental damage as the perpetrators did to their victims before executing them, Ayano wondered what Ryoba went through before her death.

She thought Ryoba was probably too complacent of her own abilities, too used to getting her own way and underestimated how dangerous they really were, as they were likely able to see through her cheerful and friendly façade.

"Order for Beef Burger is ready!" The chef shouted, snapping Ayano out of her thoughts. She proceeded to run to the counter to get the order, before serving it to the customer who ordered it.

When her shift was over at closing time, the manager congratulated her on a job well done on her first day, as from observing her, she did not serve the wrong order and did it quickly and efficiently.

"I try." Ayano smiled to the manager.

"Keep it up, and you might have an increase of hourly wage." The manager waved at her, as she left for to buy groceries.

Osana an Taro came over just as she was stocking the groceries. She went, "Hi Aya…what are you doing?"

"Sorting my shopping." Ayano replied. "Sorry if it's a mess."

"No, it's fine." Osana saw loads of packages at the counter. "What's inside?"

"Materials for my book bag." Ayano replied. "I'm making it."

"Making it?" Taro was surprised.

"Ah yes. I couldn't find one that would prevent my things from being stolen." Ayano answered. "So I decided to make one where only I can open it."

"How are you supposed to make it by tomorrow?" Osana frowned.

"Secret." Ayano said, faking a mysterious smile. "Come on, let's get to my room."

"Your house is very nice." Taro complimented. "Where are your parents?"

"They stayed behind in America. They have a few…issues to take care of." Ayano replied, as Osana made her way towards her.

"How long would they be overseas?" Osana asked.

"Indefinitely." Ayano answered.

"Woo!" The UWU pet popped out of a bag.

"Oh, what's that? It's so cute!" Osana gushed.

"It's the User Wellness Upkeep bot. It's designed to monitor my well-being and transfer the information to my parents." Ayano explained, as Taro petted it.

"Are you going to join the Science Club?" Taro examined it curiously.

"No, it's not made by me. It's made by an uncle of mine." Ayano shook her head.

"Kaga is going to have a field day with this AI pet." Taro commented, as Ayano took out the books necessary to help Osana, gesturing for Osana to sit. The two looked around her room, appreciating the posters and collage of the characters from the PAL Series with the pet on Taro's hands.

As they studied, Ayano managed to help Osana understand a lot of things through simple analogy and in the process, helping Taro understand as well. They began to talk about other things as well, such as their favourite characters in the PAL Series, and started to get closer.

They also talked about Osana's best friend named Raibaru Fumetsu, the previous Martial Arts Club Leader, but had left the Club because her star pupil, Budo Masuta had beaten her in combat which was what she was waiting for as she had wanted to pursue other hobbies for a while now.

"You'll meet her tomorrow, Aya!" Osana promised. "You two would definitely like each other."

Ayano wondered if this was the normal life of a student, and asked the two if they wanted dinner, as it was close to dinnertime.

Both agreed, which led to Ayano cooking dinner in the kitchen with the help of a recipe from a magazine.

As Ayano cooked dinner in the kitchen, Osana questioned from the dining room, "Won't you get lonely?"

"I'll get used to it." Ayano mumbled. As she turned and served the food, Ayano said, "Here. It's a new recipe from Sweden. It's called Chicken Cordon Bleu." She then poured out Fanta drinks in a glass for both of them.

They both thanked her and took a bite, before brightening up.

"Aya, it's delicious! Where did you learn to cook like that?" Osana's eyes sparkled.

"I learnt to cook since I was a kid. I get recipes from magazines or cookbooks my mum leaves around." Ayano answered smoothly. "It's my first-time cooking this, so it may not be the best."

"Are you sure? It's great!" Taro munched happily.

Ayano smiled with very mild amusement. "I'm very sure. I'm glad you guys liked it."

After dinner, Osana helped Ayano wash the dishes, before going home.

"Thank you for studying and helping me with my homework, Aya. I understand more things now! I hope we can study again sometime." She bowed to Ayano, who gave her the kindest smile she could muster without making it obvious that it's fake.

"Thank you for the meal." Taro added.

"Of course, Osana, Taro. See you tomorrow." She replied and closed the door as Osana went home.

Ayano then decided to take a quick shower, before going to start on replicating her school uniforms and the book bag. She mused that if it wasn't for her being raised in America, she probably wouldn't even care for her appearance back then just to wait for someone who could save her from her 'emptiness'. That idea sounded boring to her, as she started making her uniform.

Her mother always told her that a good reputation goes a long way. But if Ayano really thought about it, she just wanted to be normal, to be just like the rest of them.

But the question was, was she too far into her lifestyle to be normal? After all, she was raised by what people would perceive as a blacklist organization, by people who were once former Ultimates. And now she found out she was a real princess!

A Princess. Her.

Yeah. Right.

Ayano noted no one looked less like a princess than her, since because she was adopted, she didn't biologically inherit any of her parents' facial features. Compared to someone like her mother, who practically could be the planet's most beautiful woman, she looked ordinary.

While it was true she had a good figure that any girl would be envious of, she was still on the short side and if she didn't exercise regularly, her behind kind of expands. Obviously she did what she could with what God gave herm but she wouldn't be landing _on American's Next Top Model_ any time soon.

As a clothing designer, maybe, she inwardly joked to herself as she looked at the sketch she made, and started the sewing machine to work her magic. As the uniform formed from the cloth, Ayano inwardly reminded herself that it would be bad if her royal status is exposed. She wanted friends who liked her for her, and nothing else.

Good thing her parents were prepared, was all she could say.

After she was done with the uniforms, she went to sleep.

* * *

**Week 1, Monday**

"_You've changed." Ryoba appeared, battered, bleeding, burnt, bruised. She was being tortured. Ayano tried to help her, but she found herself paralyzed. _

"_I loved you. Waited for you to come save me." Her mother tried reaching out to her, but Ayano found herself stepping back. "Why, Ayano? Why are you pretending you don't know me anymore?"_

_Ayano tried to open her mouth to say something, but found no sound coming out of her mouth. What was her mother on about? _

"_Why do you fight?" Her mother tried crawling to her, but to no avail, as a foot stomped on her head, causing her to bleed even more. "You're just going to end up like me."_

_Ayano shook her head frantically. Why has it come to this? No, wait, she knew why. It's because Ryoba finally met her match…_

"_Disgusting…" A voice said, taking out a katana, and slicing down._

_Nothing happened…until the person sheathed their sword again, slicing her mother into pieces, and splattering Ayano with blood…and some flesh. _

Ayano sat up in bed, and sighed silently after realizing it was just a dream. She looked at the clock, stating it was five in the morning. May as well do prepare her lunch for school to take her mind off things. It should be simple. After all, her mother advised her to make a box lunch that would have something from the ocean and something from the hills.

It didn't take long until she was the kitchen with all the necessary tools and ingredients, along with a cooking book to keep track on what to do. Ayano had decided to prepare her bento box with something from the ocean and something from the hills, along with her breakfast. She decided to try her hand at Western food and at the same time, make a batch of chocolate chip cookies for her energy jolt.

'I can work the calories off later.' Ayano shrugged. That was what she always did when she indulged in things like Krispy Kreme donuts back home.

Later, while frying a fish fillet, Ayano had the recipe book propped up against the wall, wondering what she should make for breakfast as she flipped the pages. She decided to settle on an omelette with cheese and ham in it. After all, she had the ingredients out already, so why not?

Ayano heard a ding, indicating that her cookies were ready. She then paused in her frying to pack the cookies in a box, before continuing with preparing her lunch.

'Well, you know what they say. Fake it till you make it.' Ayano thought, as she finished making her bento box, and ate her breakfast. She also made a cup of coffee to wake herself up.

She then dressed in the uniform she made, which consisted of a high collared white blouse worn under a red-lined black blazer and bright red bow, accompanied with a dark grey skirt and brown shoes. She also placed the pet bot into her pocket and wore her Monita on her neck.

After packing her lunch into her bag, she placed a pair of headphones on her head, playing music that she had found on the Internet. Royal Defense was one of the bands she didn't mind listening to, and she always marvelled at how it was only made up of two people. She then left the house, walking to the rhythm of the music that was currently playing.

Ayano didn't meet anyone, until Osana turned the corner, muttering something as she walked ahead of her, unaware of Ayano's presence only a few yards back. Ayano raised her brow as she watched the girl huff and puff over, who knows what. If yesterday was any indication, it could be Taro she was complaining about.

She wondered if she should call out to her, but then she stopped long enough to hear her quiet footsteps. Osana stopped and turned around to see Ayano.

"How long have you been there?" Osana pointed to her, face red from embarrassment.

"From when you stomped out of the corner," Ayano responded calmly, taking off her headphones.

"What!" She sputtered, and walked over to her. "Come on, let's go to school." She grabbed her by the wrist, not in the nice, friendly, _Come on_ way, but in the _You're busted and you're coming with me, young lady_ kind of way.

Ayano just trailed behind her, somewhat annoyed but willing to go along with this break in her routine.

"Where's Taro?" Ayano asked the orange-haired girl.

"Do not talk to me about that baka!" Osana huffed. "Taro keeps sleeping in. He always does this, and I wait for him, but I'm sick of being late because of him. I waited at least twenty minutes for him this morning! He apologizes for it but then he doesn't do anything to solve this. I'm sick of it."

'So that was what she was complaining to herself about.' Ayano thought. To Osana, she said, "Why not talk to him about this issue? I mean besides complaining when he's late. Maybe he had trouble sleeping or needs to sleep earlier. If you don't want to be late, don't wait for him. He likely would understand if he realizes you do this to keep out of detention."

Osana thought about what she said, then nodded. "You're right, Aya. I'll talk to him, but if he's going to continue to be late, I'm not going to wait for him." She then eyed Ayano thoughtfully. "Do you wake up early? You were already on your way to school before I left Taro, weren't you?"

Ayano nodded. "Of course. I always try to leave the house at six-thirty. I am a morning person."

Osana grinned, seemingly pleased. "Well then, at least I won't be walking to school alone. I'll be walking with you every day from now on, since Taro is never up early enough." Once again, his face darkened. "I swear, he must be sleeping through his alarm clock or something."

She then brightened up. "I'll walk you home tonight so I know where to meet you. I'm not going to wait by my house for you, lest I'll be late again."

"Do as you wish."

Osana looked at her strangely as they reached school grounds. "Aya, did you know you agree to everything?"

Ayano shrugged. "You haven't said anything worth objecting."

The moment they stepped into school, another girl with orange-amber eyes and bright orange hair worn in two slightly curled pigtails ran up to them. "Osana, good morning!"

"Morning, Raibaru." Osana smiled. "Raibaru, meet Ayano, but I call her Aya. Aya, Raibaru."

"Pleased to meet you, Raibaru-san." Ayano held out a hand to shake. Raibaru took it and at that moment, Ayano knew there was more to Raibaru than meets the eye. Something about her grip seemed strong.

"Raibaru would do. You're new, right?" Raibaru smiled sweetly.

Ayano nodded. "So, you're the Raibaru Osana talked about."

"All good things, I hope." Raibaru giggled girlishly.

"Yes." Ayano nodded to confirm.

"Spoiler alert: She's going to be in our class!" Osana squealed.

"I look forward to that." Raibaru grinned, as they reached their lockers.

"See you in class." Ayano waved to the two.

Both of them nodded and headed off for their lockers. "I'll find you after school. Don't keep me waiting." Osana said.

In the locker room, everyone was walking, chatting away about anything and everything as they headed to their lockers and straight into the din of spinning combination dials and slamming of locker doors, students gossiping about who knows-what, and even teachers walked past with steaming mugs of coffee and talked with other teachers.

Ayano reached her assigned locker and switched her shoes, ready to explore the school for a while before classes start. Although she noted that she hated the din, and put on her headphones to block the noise. Why do people always like to talk louder just to make themselves heard?

* * *

Five minutes before the bell rang, Ayano made her way to her classroom, Room 2-1. Ayano headed to the teacher, who was named Rino Fukahori.

"Oh, hello, Ayano Aishi." Rino Fukahori greeted her. "You must be the new student."

Ayano nodded. "Yes. It's a pleasure to be here, Fukahori-sensei."

The teacher smiled. "Well then, you can stand next to me until everyone comes in, so I can introduce you." One by one, the class trickled in, most giving Ayano curious looks.

"Thank you." Ayano gave a small smile. Right before the bell, Osana and Raibaru ran into the class. Rino Fukahori, took one look at them and sighed.

"Please, take a seat. I'd like to get started right away, thank you very much." She gestured to Osana's and Raibaru's seats, which were way at the back row. "Now that everyone has gathered, allow me to have the pleasure to introduce our new student from America- Ayano Aishi. Please give her a warm welcome."

Ayano was reminded of the people who came to see her perform in orphanages or charity balls, as they clapped.

"Why don't you introduce yourself?" Fukahori-sensei asked.

Ayano shrugged and said, "Well, since you already know my name and where I'm from-" at that banter, some chuckled since it was true. "I like to try new things and I don't particularly dislike anything. I hope I could get along with everyone."

Everyone nodded with interest, wondering what new things she liked to try, when on cue, the UWU pet popped out of her pocket.

"Woo?" The robotic pet peeked out curiously.

'Not now!' Ayano thought.

"Not now!" Monita spoke up.

"Oh? What is that?" A boy with short, slicked-back grey hair with neon green streaks in it and a metal visor exclaimed. The shining eyes on the visor indicated he was extremely interested in it.

"This is the User Wellness Upkeep bot, which monitors my physical and emotional well-being and transmits it back to my parents." Ayano explained, not wanting to alienate anyone on her first day. "And this is Monita, a personal portable computer of mine that sometimes blurts out my thoughts. It reads the wavelength of my brain to do so."

'Wait till I tell Kaga!' The metal visor-wearing guy thought, as the others admired the devices she had.

"Very nice, Ayano Aishi." Rino Fukahori nodded, having the feeling Ayano may change the social structure of the school soon enough. "Well then, you may sit next to Raibaru Fumetsu and Hana Daidaiyama. She gestured towards the desk in the middle of the back row. It's not hidden off, but she wouldn't have anyone's eyes on her as she worked.

Ayano gave a small smirk, as Rino Fukahori handed her the materials sent from her other school. 'Lucky me.'

"Alright, students, let's begin. Please, pull out your Geography books and go to the first page…"

As Ayano started working on new designs to send to her other school, she vaguely heard the teacher ask the difference between a stalagmite and a stalactite, and called upon Osana to answer.

As Osana stuttered and Raibaru was flustered, indicating she didn't know the answer and could not help her best friend, Ayano watched. As much as she'd rather stay out of this, she couldn't risk the teacher going over her allocated lesson time because Osana couldn't answer the question. That would leave all of them less time for lunch.

With that thought, Ayano scribbled the answer down on a piece of paper, having read about them beforehand. She then tapped at Raibaru's shoulder, signalling her to pass it to Osana in secret.

Raibaru nodded and passed it to Osana's left hand, which made Osana unfold the paper and read out what was written. "Stalactites are mineral deposits that form on the ceilings of caves, while stalagmites are found on the ground."

"Correct." The teacher nodded, containing her Geography lesson on caves. Osana shot Ayano a grateful look, as did Raibaru, who gave Ayano a thumbs up. She rolled her eyes to and went back to work.

As she worked, she noted that the lesson systems were different from her school. This school scheduled one subject at certain times. For example, they only did Geography at a certain time where they only focus on Geography, and then do arithmetic the second period, when you just do arithmetic.

'Weird.' Ayano thought. After all, back in her school, the teacher simply made a list of all the problems and questions in the subjects to be studied that day. Then she would say, "Now, start with any of these you like."

So, whether you started on Geography or arithmetic or something else didn't matter at all. Someone who liked composition might be writing something, while behind you someone who liked chemistry might be boiling something in a flask over an alcohol burner, so that a small explosion was liable to occur in any of the classrooms.

'Or maybe my school is the weird one.' Ayano inwardly noted.

The only classes they took together were compulsory extracurricular ones, such as self-defense, drama or deportment or horseback riding classes.

She wondered what would the girls say if it was known she actually owned a pony.

She was so engrossed that the first half of the day went by pretty quickly. Before she knew it, it was time for lunch. As soon as the bell rang, all of her classmates rushed out of the door, ready to find their friends to eat together with. Ayano packed away her materials, thinking about where to go.

She had three options. The vending machines, the roof or even outside, where she had seen some tables earlier. She didn't get to decide, however, as Osana cleared her throat in front of her to get her attention as she got out of her seat. Raibaru was already next to Osana, ready to follow Osana with her bento box in hand.

"Come on." Osana started, as Ayano took out her box of cookies and bento box. "We're going to have lunch on the roof. I bet that baka is already there." She didn't wait for her to accept, instead tugging her to follow them out of the class.

Ayano swore she heard a snicker from their teacher, but dismissed it as she was dragged along by Osana. Raibaru had her hand over her mouth, like she was trying not to laugh.

Taro smiled when they arrived. "Hey, Ayano! Nice to see you again!"

"I'm so glad you aren't late." Ayano remarked dryly, earning a laugh from him. She sat on the ground in front of him, and Raibaru joined her. Osana on the other hand joined Tao on the bench, and started on him for this morning.

"She has a crush on him, or something?" Ayano leaned over to ask Raibaru so they wouldn't hear, as they opened their lunchboxes.

Raibaru nodded, as they ate. "Yep. She doesn't know how to express her love to her crush, so she keeps being mean."

"Aren't Tsunderes a bit cliché now?" Ayano remarked dryly, watching the two interact.

Raibaru whispered back, "Don't let her hear that. She's been dancing around this for years now."

"Years? Are they childhood friends?" Ayano turned to Raibaru and she nodded.

Ayano sighed silently, as she took out her box of cookies after eating them. "I got bored and made this myself. Want to try?"

"I could never turn down free food." Raibaru smiled, taking a cookie. Taro, noticing it, also took a cookie, as did Osana.

As they took a bite, their eyes shone. "This is practically perfect, like your last cooking." Osana nodded in agreement, quickly consuming the chocolate chip cookie.

"Oh, thank you." Ayano shrugged, as Osana took another cookie.

"You should join the Cooking Club." Osana said between munches. "I'm sure everyone would want to bask in the greatness of your cooking!"

Raibaru laughed, as Ayano shook her head.

Ayano felt content at the compliment as she ate. She noticed the puzzled look on Taro's face at her response, but didn't question it. For now, she just enjoyed the moment.

* * *

The rest of the day passed quickly, afternoon classes were a blur. Ayano didn't really notice for she was busy sketching cosplay outfits and deciding the materials needed to make certain accessories.

Soon enough, it's cleaning time.

"Cleaning time?" Ayano was puzzled, turning to Osana for an answer. She never heard of it before.

"Well, every day between 3:30pm and 4:00pm, all students clean around the school. It's kind of a tradition." Osana answered.

"You can start with something simple like cleaning the windows." Rino Fukahori suggested, as she packed up her teaching materials. "Whatever lets you contribute."

Ayano nodded, as she took a cloth to help clean the windows. She assisted with this single duty until everything was done, then went to the locker to switch her shoes.

Osana was waiting for her by a tree near the gate. Taro and Raibaru were standing beside her, too.

"Aya, come on! We're walking you home today." Osana waved her over.

The four of them made their way to her house, talking about Ayano's first day.

"How did you find our school?" Osana asked eagerly.

"It's different from my old school." Ayano admitted.

"Really? How so?" Raibaru questioned.

"Well for one, self-defense in my old school is necessary." Ayano explained.

"Really?" Raibaru was interested. "Why?"

"It's probably because in America, they are allowed to wield guns." Taro answered. "It results in a lot of school shootings, so it's likely they are learning to try and apprehend the shooter before it happens."

When he got stared, Taro said, "I read it from a book."

"No wonder you never talk to anyone! You're always reading." Osana pointed out. "We only became friends because we're neighbours!"

Taro rubbed the back of his neck, laughing. "I know, but I can't help that I like reading very much. Maybe I'll talk to some more people."

"You better. Maybe you'll get a girlfriend for once," Osana rolled her eyes. Raibaru and Ayano knew she was hoping it'd be her.

"Hey! You haven't dated anyone either!" Taro shot back.

Ayano watched them go back and forth, bantering playfully the whole way. She wondered if Yuki and her would have this kind of familiarity as well, had she been normal. After all, she knew she didn't have the emotions to build a friendship with such a strong foundation. She could only hope that she will make amazing friends once she found a way to unlock her emotions.

"Maybe Taro is too dense to see Osana's feelings, and his true love is a book." Raibaru joked, which made Ayano give a polite smile. She knew if she could feel amusement, she would be amused right now.

Soon, they reached her house. Ayano almost wished that she lived farther away, but she's content with the fact that she'll see them, or at least Osana, the next day. She wondered how this change of routine would affect her, and admitted she would like to see the results.

As she opened the door, saying her goodbyes, Raibaru cut her off.

"Wait, Ayano! Give me your number!" Raibaru smiled as she held out her phone. As she did, Raibaru whispered, "We can make plans on how to get Taro to realize Osana's feelings." and winked.

Ayano returned the kindest, sunniest smile she could fake, as she typed her number into Raibaru's phone, then stepped into her house. She waved goodbye once more and heard them step away.

Wordlessly, Ayano scanned her progress of her work to send to her other school. After that, she cooked dinner, and opened up Monita to make a transatlantic call to Yuki back home. Yuki answered on the very first ring. He seemed to be getting ready for school, as opposed to her being home.

"Hello, Aya-chan." Yuki waved happily. "How was your first day of school?"

"Yu-chan." Ayano greeted, and briefly talked about her first day of school.

"That different, huh?" Yuki smiled wryly. "Don't worry, it's only for a while. Once your parents deal with that issue, you can come back home and continue your studies, no problem."

"Knowing Queen Janice, it might take a long while." Ayano sighed.

"But I knew you'd make friends already!" Yuki grinned.

"I simply did a favour, and they latched on to me." Ayano shrugged. "Don't worry, I won't forget about you."

"So sweet of you." Yuki mock-clutched his heart, and mock-swooned.

"How's Uncle Shiki?" Ayano asked, eating her dinner.

"He's good." Yuki replied. "But lately, he's been saying how bad a decision his sister made to send you here alone."

Ayano rubbed her temples. "Can't say I didn't expect that. Should I be worried?" After all, Shiki was the more wary twin, preferring to use more measures to accomplish a task. It's likely he felt that her mother's plan to send her here without a guard and banking on the fact that no one knew who the actual adopted kid of hers was half-assed.

Knowing Shiki, he probably would take action with this in mind alone. But what he could actually do, Ayano did not know.

"He means well, Aya." Yuki shrugged nonchalantly. "This attitude of his was why he's popular with the ladies after all."

"His life was practically a Dating Simulator." Ayano rolled her eyes.

Ayano and Yuki chatted for a bit longer before Yuki had to leave for school.

Ayano then finished dinner, washed the dishes, and started on the progress of her latest project for her other school.

When she was done, she finished her homework sent to her via email and got ready for the next day, going to sleep with a dreamless sleep to come.

**BP: Fair warning. The lengths of the chapters would depend on the ideas I have. I would do at least two or three school days for each chapter, so each heading would indicate what Week or day she was currently in. **

**While you're at it, do check out my Naruto fanfiction, and my latest Naruto x Pokémon fanfic. Also, do vote on the poll I have put up so I can plot out my next chapters of my Naruto fanfic, the Psychic Prodigy. **

**Do review, favourite and follow!**


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